The Meanings of Words Denotation and Connotation Denotation

The Meanings of Words Denotation and Connotation

Denotation The strict dictionary meaning of a word

Connotation The emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word

Purpose of Words To label things I live in a house.

Purpose of Words To express a point of view You may live in a house, but we live in a home.

Point of View b. Positive We bought inexpensive souvenirs at the amusement park. b. Negative We bought cheap souvenirs at the amusement park.

Point of View: Positive b Everyone had a (smile, smirk) on his/her face on the ride home. b Everyone had a smile on his/her face on the way home.

Point of View: Negative I ate a (soggy, moist) sandwich. I ate a soggy sandwich

Positive? You Decide! average mediocre childish childlike spit saliva antique old-fashioned

Context Clues Words or phrases that help the reader understand a difficult word

Using Context Clues b The parrot was able to (mimic, mock) human voices. b The parrot was able to mimic human voices.

Context Clues: You Decide! 1. The (odor, fragrance) of apple blossoms filled the entire valley. 2. A (swarm, bunch) of bees filled the air near the hive. 3. Tammy (delayed, hesitated) for a moment, then went on speaking.

Let’s Play. . . Word Jeopardy

Word Jeopardy Positive Viewpoint Negative Viewpoint Context Clues 100 100 200 200 300 300

Positive Viewpoint b immature b youthful b Back to Game

Positive Viewpoint b limit b restrict b Back to Game

Positive Viewpoint b filthy b dirty b Back to Game

Negative Viewpoint b stingy b thrifty b Back to Game

Negative Viewpoint b cluttered b messy b Back to Game

Negative Viewpoint b unusual b weird b Back to Game

Context Clues After the big test, Rich felt relaxed and ( carefree, irresponsible ). b Back to Game

Context Clues The empty streets looked lonely and ( deserted, barren ). b Back to Game

Context Clues The employees tried to ( haggle, bargain ) with their employer over pay raises. b Back to Game

Well Done!

Now find 5 examples in the chapters you have read so far in Alabama Moon that demonstrate the author’s intentional connotative word choice to imply a positive or negative feeling. For each example, explain the effect of the chosen word(s). Example: p. 15 “Pa fidgeted the money into his pocket” Using the word fidgeted here shows me that Pa is still nervous. He is moving the money around to have something to do and not look obvious about his feelings. I think fidgeted has a negative connotation because if the author wanted to show positive feelings he might have said tossed or jiggled. Fidgeted shows that something is not right.